Over recent years there has been a widespread development of personal computers, and the industry has experienced a rather dramatic increase in the design, development and sale of computer which are portable. These portable computers are not significantly larger than small portable typewriters, and contain their own built-in central processing unit, memory, hard drive, disk drives, keyboard, visual display and carrying handle. The display is typically a liquid crystal display on one side of a panel or lid which folds down flat on the upper surface of the keyboard to serve as a cover to protect the keyboard and display during storage and travel.
It is desirable that the display panel, including its hinging hardware, fold flush with the upper surface of the keyboard and this is sometimes accomplished by accommodating the display panel with a recess into which the upper surface of the keyboard fits.
In the past, the keyboards have been permanently fixed to a base so that in use the user had to operate the keyboard in a position directly adjacent the open lid and base. This has several disadvantages, the first of which is that it requires the user's eyes by within 12 to 14 inches of the screen, which is not the optimum distance for eye comfort. Secondly, the standard table height of 30 to 31 inches positions the keyboard, when fixed to the computer, at a height somewhat higher than desirable for operator hand comfort.
This problem is obviated in separate component personal computer systems by providing computer tables that have separate lower keyboard shelves, but of course the components are not portable as a unit.
There have, in the past, been provided keyboard assemblies which are selectively attachable to video display units to provide keyboard stability, such as shown in the Fuhs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,604, but this detachable keyboard is not designed for a portable computer where the keyboard must be rigidly fixed to the base for transport.
It is a primary object of the present invention to ameliorate the problems noted above in keyboards for portable computers.